Responses to Information Requests

​​​​​​​Responses to Information Requests (RIRs) are research reports on country conditions. They are requested by IRB decision-makers.

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Responses to Information Requests (RIRs) cite publicly accessible information available at the time of publication and within time constraints. A list of references and additional sources consulted are included in each RIR. Sources cited are considered the most current information available as of the date of the RIR.            

RIRs are not, and do not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Rather, they are intended to support the refugee determination process. More information on the methodology used by the Research Directorate can be found here.          

The assessment and weight to be given to the information in the RIRs are the responsibility of independent IRB members (decision-makers) after considering the evidence and arguments presented by the parties.           

The information presented in RIRs solely reflects the views and perspectives of the sources cited and does not necessarily reflect the position of the IRB or the Government of Canada.          

1 February 2011

ALB103670.E

Albania: Procedure for filling in the cause of death on Albanian death certificates; whether there is a written explanation of the cause of death or a reference to a section of the act governing the issuance of death certificates; whether the procedure is standardized throughout Albania
Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

Information on the procedures for filling in the cause of death on Albanian death certificates was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. An official at the Embassy of Albania in Washington, DC stated, in a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, that, to his knowledge, the cause of death on Albanian death certificates is a written explanation based on the medical report of the deceased (25 Jan. 2011). He was not aware of any cases in which the cause of death referenced a code or a section of the act governing the issuance of death certificates (Albania 25 Jan. 2011).

According to a 2008 demographic study of Albania conducted by two Geneva University professors, registration of deaths in Albania requires medical verification in order to be valid (Lerch and Wanner 10 Jan. 2008, 17). However, medical verification was not a requirement on death certificates in the past (ibid., 19). The study indicates that Albania uses the ninth edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9) to record the medical causes of death, including the primary cause, external cause, and secondary causes (ibid., 17). In practice, the study notes "inaccurate reporting" on the cause of death in some instances (ibid., 19). Specifically, it reports that while the primary cause of death was recorded in almost all cases, information on external and secondary causes of death was missing in 10 percent of cases (ibid.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Albania. 25 January 2011. Embassy of Albania, Washington, DC. Telephone interview with the Consul.

Lerch, Mathias, and Philippe Wanner. 10 January 2008. Demographic Data in Albania. Results of an Assessment. Geneva University. <http://www.unige.ch/ses/demog/Publicationsetrapports/Workingpapers/ReportDemAss _net.pdf> [Accessed 25 Jan. 2011]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Attempts to contact officials at the Albanian Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as representatives at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Tirana were unsuccessful. An official at the Embassy of Albania in Ottawa was unable to provide information.

Internet sites, including: Albanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Embassy of Albania in Ottawa, European Country of Origin Information Network (ecoi.net), Factiva, United Nations (UN) Refworld, United States (US) Embassy in Tirana, WHO.

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